Selective vision: Ban on commercial surrogacy is tokenism. Only total ban on the malpractice will bring relief

The Union government has decided to impose a ban on commercial surrogacy, but they are ok with altruistic surrogacy. A question pops up here: Will this ban do any good to the surrogate mothers? Surrogacy should be banned completely, in every way, as the childless couples always have an option open to adopt a child.

Powerless, helpless women take this up because they get good amounts of money for offering their wombs to childless couples, for child storage. Most are forced into surrogacy without their consent. In quite a few instances, relatives have been involved in facilitating the deal between the couples and the carriers. Our society needs to save itself from this madness before it’s late. The prospect of earning very good amounts of money, by playing with nature, can have medical repercussions, too, doctors have warned multiple times.

In the process of surrogacy, a woman goes through various health complications and the worst part is that it’s sex selective. If there is a girl in her womb, then she has to get the abortion done, which is again a very big trauma for her.

The economic condition of women in India needs an upliftment. Many women agree to be the host womb because they want money to survive in this expensive-becoming country. Most of them are fighting with debt-traps, declining wages, exploitation and poor paid domestic work.

There is much hand wringing in the liberal media over the pain and emotional trauma of infertility. A woman’s body is repeatedly used for fertilized eggs, irrespective of her choice and health. This is a crime which should be stopped immediately by the government.

Childless couples can visit an orphanage and adopt a child, a much better way to nurture and build up a child’s future, rather than going for the complicated process of surrogacy. If they really want a child, then adoption is a better way.

So women don’t fall for the enticing offer of surrogacy, the Government must empower them, provide them equal wages, give them required medical facilities, give them proper education so that they can differentiate between good and bad, and make them aware of their rights. Knowledge is power.